Business expertise

Risk management and crisis management

A crisis can take many forms, both in terms of its size (global, regional, national or local) and its scope (health, economic, political or logistical.) We also know that certain tense situations can become real crises if the measures taken are not up to scratch.

So whether the crisis is already here, in the making or just likely, we can put our expertise at your service to help you secure your production operations and supply chain as soon as possible.

What’s more, whatever the situation you’re facing, we take care to secure the future: working with you to ensure that you’ll be more resilient in the face of an ever-changing and increasingly uncertain world.

Your challenges

Recent years have reminded us just how multifaceted, sudden and systemic crises can be. In an increasingly uncertain world, companies want to ensure their security and be able to respond to hazards of all kinds to better manage crises, avoid future ones and improve their resilience.

Managing an actual or imminent crisis

Knowing how to both manage the crisis and keep decision-makers informed in real time
In parallel with operational management, anticipate future problems or impacts beyond the current scope
Organize and prioritise actions, including deciding which issues cannot be dealt with during the crisis

Temporarily reinforce your teams

Support an undersized team or the absence of a manager and avoid a potential local crisis
Adjust the size of a team to respond to a complex situation
Identify the right profiles to help in a complex situation.

Assessing risks and anticipating a potential crisis

Conduct an end-to-end risk analysis of the value chain (internal teams, suppliers, service providers, customers, etc.)
Identify the points at risk and qualify them (frequency, probability & impact)
Examine risk reduction scenarios and make choices (security costs)
Implement the risk reduction plan
Implement the verification plan

Securing the future

Reduce the vulnerability of your operations to current and future changes
Make your business model more robust, resilient and agile so that your organization and teams are better equiped
Change the company's culture and strategy to improve resilience and inform choices (e.g. close and agile supplier VS distant supplier and lower price, etc.)

Our convictions

Bringing strategy and operations closer together

Whether in a crisis or in anticipation of one, we believe it is vital to bring strategic decisions closer into line with actual situations on the ground.
In a crisis, you need to be able to quickly make choices that are effective and relevant from an operational point of view.
Operational staff also need to understand the strategy and the choices made very quickly, and to focus on the right things at the right time.
To reduce risk and anticipate future developments, we also need to ensure that our strategies are consistent with the realities on the ground, and that we make the right choices.

Taking a cross-functional view

Controlling risks and anticipating potential problems requires a 360° approach.
This analysis needs to be carried out from one end of the value chain to the other, with expertise at each level and consistency across the board.
In the event of a crisis, it is vital to ensure that we do not just treat the symptoms: we must ensure that we treat the root causes as soon as possible, or that the means to get o

Identifying, containing and reducing risks

A good diagnosis must assess the risk (frequency, probability and impact) and rapidly propose solutions to limit or contain a problem.
The analysis must be meticulous, but also highly pragmatic, to provide concrete solutions that can be implemented
In crisis mode, speed will be more important than the quality and beauty of the rendering; for all that, communication is essential and must be well done

Quantifying the associated costs and having them validated

Assessing the impact and costs associated with a crisis situation is essential for defining the resources you wish to put in place in advance or through a business continuity plan.
In addition, certain levers can be put in place to deal with various risks simultaneously (e.g. protective stock in the event of supplier or transport contingencies or increased demand).
Finally, implementing a business continuity plan or a more agile approach generates costs: these should not be hidden, and education should be provided to explain them (and the reasons for implementing them should be documented).

Mobilizing the right expertise

It is vital to set up a crisis management team with a high level of decision-making autonomy and rapid access to decision-makers for important decisions.
You need to rely on the pillars of your teams and add additional expertise or reinforcements to increase your capacity during a crisis.
Involving the various teams in anticipation is also the assurance that, if a crisis occurs, these teams will reactivate the mechanisms worked on together, adapting them to the reality of the crisis.

Our solutions
and expertise

Diagnosis, risk identification and recommendations

Identification of major risk exposure points (frequency, probability & impact)
Identification of risk reduction scenarios and cost evaluation; assistance with informed decision-making
Implementation of a validated risk reduction plan
Implementation of a regular audit plan
Securing the autonomy of teams to regularly assess consistency and adjust the risk management plan.

Structuring processes and know-how

Formalization of processes, including degraded processes
Identification of processes that contribute to risk reduction
Team training
Post-training assessments

Preparation of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

Implementation of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) at several levels depending on the level of crisis
Training and even exercises for teams
Revision, particularly in the event of a future crisis

Operational or project reinforcement – Talentwell

Potential profiles to reduce the workload on your teams and therefore reduce risks: Interim Manager, Project Manager, Operational back-up for a team

Setting up a Crisis Task Force

Flash diagnosis and organizational proposal
Crisis unit set up (within 24 to 48 hours).
Joint implementation of crisis management processes
Setting up reporting and communication rituals

Your gains

Controlling the financial impact of the crisis

Sales preserved or attrition limited
E.g.: Business continuity plan, the target of which was to maintain 80% of sales; in the end, we were able to maintain 90% of sales
Costs of urgent flows more limited during the crisis

Controlling the impact of the crisis on customer service

Reduction in the number, frequency and impact of unforeseen events affecting customers (out-of-stock situations, deliveries, etc.)
Improved ability to address customer needs, even in times of crisis
Good prioritization to serve the maximum number of customers

Improving agility and sustainability

Resolution of major incidents in emergency situations
Guaranteed business continuity
Increased resilience of the supply chain and operations to unforeseen events
Assessment of maturity in the various facets of Operations, targets and shared trajectories

A Project ? Contact us

Jean-Pascal Chichmanian

Partner

Jean-Pascal joined Citwell in 2007, after 3 years’ experience in operational logistics at DECATHLON. At Citwell, he has supported a number of transformation projects and has been involved in various areas of the supply chain, both in the upstream phases (master plans, scoping, etc.) and in the implementation phases.

He is now a partner, in charge of major supply chain programmes and responsible for our team reinforcement activity (Talentwell). In particular, Jean-Pascal has managed most of the Citwell teams mobilised in response to crises at our customers’ sites.